Device for imparting horizontally oscillatory rotating movement to articles



Jan. 28, 1969 'REIJIRO rro 3,4 0

DEVICE FOR IMPARTING HORIZONTALLY OSCILLATORY ROTATING MOVEMENT TO ARTICLES Original Filed Aug. 30, 1965 I of 2 Sheet INVENTOR I TO REIJIRO BY I Jan. 28, 1969 REIJIRO rro 3,425,011

DEVICE FOR IMPARTING HORIZONTALLY OSCILLATORY ROTATING MOVEMENT T0 ARTICLES Original Filed Aug. 30, 1965 Sheet 2 of 2 Z? (V //f 63 E!%%- A FIG. 3

j 56 'i 60 2, I v n A 55 INVENTOR REIJIRO lTO ORNEYS United States Patent 3,425,011 DEVICE FOR IMPARTING HORIZONTALLY OSCILLATORY ROTATING MOVEMENT TO ARTICLES Reijiro Ito, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and Koknsai Display Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka and Tokyo, Japan, respectively Original application Aug. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 483,404, now Patent No. 3,325,759, dated June 13, 1967. Divided and this application Jan. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 630,157 Claims priority, application Japan, Sept. 4, 1964, 39/ 70,100; Nov. 24, 1964, 39/90,996; June 16, 1965, 40/ 48,551; June 30, 1965, 40/39,871 US. Cl. 335-179 Claims Int. Cl. H02k 33/18 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for imparting horizontally oscillatory movement to display articles carried on a movable support rotatably mounted on a stationary support by resilient means. The device includes a permanent magnet mounted on one end of an arm horizontally mounted on the movable support and directed towards the stationary support. An electromagnet is provided on the stationary support in a position opposite the permanent magnet, in an at rest position, and means are provided to selectively energize the electromagnet to exert a repulsive force on the permanent magnet thus achieving the desired motion.

The present application constitutes a division of my earlier application Ser. No. 483,404 filed Aug 30, 1965, and now issued as Patent No. 3,325,759.

This invention relates to improvements in a device for imparting horizontally oscillatory rotating movement to articles.

Conventional devices for imparting movement to articles of advertisement such as articles of commerce, outdoor signboards and chandeliers have been provided with power supply means consisting of an electric motor and a reduction gearing of complex structure and have therefore encountered various operating difficulties including a problem of providing successful Wear resisting means in a turntable and reduction gears and a problem of overheat in the motor due to continuous operation for an elongated period of time. In order to deal with these diffioulties, conventional devices of the kind described have necessarily become complex in their structure, required a high cost of manufacture and required troublesome procedures for the proper maintenance thereof.

Difficulties have been encountered especially with a device for imparting movement to outdoor signs in which case breakage of its reduction gearing or overheat of its electric motor has frequently taken place due to overload by wind and thus the device has become uneconomical and has been difiicult to put into practical application.

It has been acknowledged that an interesting manner of advertisement can be derived by providing a device which imparts horizontally oscillatory rotating movement opposite to each other to two articles of advertisement, articles of commerce, decorative articles or the like. However, d-ue to the fact that such device inevitably requires a complex mechanism including link means, gear means or belt transmission means, requires a high cost of manufacture and is liable to break, this kind of device could not be mass-produced.

The present invention intends to eliminate the prior drawbacks as described above and has for one of its objects to provide a device for imparting horizontally oscillatory rotating movement to articles in which a movable Patented Jan. 28, 1969 support carrying thereon the articles such as articles of advertisement, articles of commerce or chandeliers is adapted to be moved by the combination of a force of repulsion or attraction between magnets and torsional movement of a resilient body carrying the movable support suspended therefrom so that the movable support is subjected to an interesting movement instead of mere constant-speed rotary movement and thus a great effect of display of the articles of advertisement can be obtained.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for imparting horizontally oscillatory rotating movement to articles in which a resilient suspension system is provided to support the movable support carrying thereon the articles such as articles of advertisement whereby load on the bearings for the movable support is reduced and the device of simple structure and of long service life can positively be utilized for use with outdoor signboards and the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for imparting horizontally oscillatory rotating movement to articles in which the movable support acting as an inner oscillator is freely rotatably mounted in an outer oscillator and at the same time carried in suspended relation in the outer oscillator by means of a resilient body While the outer oscillator is suspended from a stationary supporting member by means of an ineffective torque transmitting means such as a string or a chain so that the inner and outer oscillators make horizontally oscillatory rotating movement in directions opposite to each other and thus a device imparting a more interesting movement to the articles can be utilized for the purpose of advertisement or room accessories.

According to the present invention, the force for causing the rotary movement of the movable support or the inner and outer oscillators is generated by a combination of a force of repulsion or attraction between a permanent magnet or a magnetic body and an instantaneously energized electromagnet and a force of restitution of a resilient body against torsion. Therefore, power consumption is extremely small and rotary oscillation can be continued for a long period of time even with a source of power supply in the form of a battery.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of one embodiment of the device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partially in section, of another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of a further embodiment of the subject invention.

One embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 has a structure which is adapted to impart movement to an outdoor signboard. The device of FIG. 1 includes a movable support 10 in the form of a tubular member. A stationary support 11 is firmly fixed to a wall 12, and the movable support or tubular support 10 is journalled at opposite ends in a ball bearing 13 provided centrally of the support 11 and a bearing 15 disposed at a suitable lower position. A spring bar 14 is disposed within the tubular support 10 and has its upper end fixed by a rivet 22 to a projection 21 provided at an upper inner wall portion of the stationary support 11 while its lower end is fixed by a rivet 23 to a lower inner wall portion of the tubular support 10. A horizontally rotary arm 17 is fixed at one end to the upper end of the tubular support 10 and has a permanent magnet 18 fitted to the free end thereof. An electromagnet 16 is provided on the stationary support 11 in a manner that it can be opposed by the permanent magnet 18 at the non-twisted state of the spring bar 14.

A source of commercial A.C. supply 24 is connected to the primary winding of a voltage dropping transformer 25. One end of the secondary winding 26 of the transformer 25 is connected through a rectifier 27 to the rivet 22 and the other end thereof is connected to one end of an exciting coil 19 for the electromagnet 16. The other end of the coil 19 is connected to the rear end of a stationary contact 28 whose front end is disposed opposite a movable contact 29 fixed on the rotary arm 17. A signboard 20 is mounted on the tubular support 10 as shown.

The device of FIG. 1 operates in the following manner. The tubular or movable support 10 is rotatably journaled in the bearings -'13 and 15 and thus rotates in unitary relation with the rotary arm 17. This tubular support 10 is restored to its original position whenever a force of restitution against torsion imparted to the spring bar 14 by the rotation of the arm 17 urges the spring bar 14 its non-twisted state. At the original position of the arm 17, the movable contact 29 is brought into contact with the stationary contact 28 so that the current reduced in its voltage by the transformer 25 and rectified by the rectifier 27 flows through the spring bar 14, tubular support 10, arm 17, contact 29 and contact 28 to the exciting coil 19 for the electromagnet 16, which is thereby energized to urge the permanent magnet 18 away therefrom. In this manner, the tubular support 10 continues its horizontally oscillatory rotating movement.

An embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is substantially similar to that shown in FIG. 1, but differs from the latter in that no bearing is provided to support the lower end of a tubular support 30 and that the relative positions of the permanent magnet 37 and electromagnet 35 being reversed with the former on the stationary support and the latter on the oscillatory arm. In the present embodiment, a casing 45 for accommodating a battery 38 is fitted to the lower end of the tubular support 30 and connection is made such that one end of an exciting coil 39 for an electromagnet 35 is connected to the negative terminal of the battery 38 through stationary contact 43, movable contact 4, rotary arm 36 and tubular support 30, while the other end of the coil 39 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery 38 through spring bar 34.

A stationary support 31 is fixed to a suitable portion of a ceiling wall 32 and is provided centrally of its lower face with a bearing 33 to support the upper end of the tubular support 30. The upper end of the spring bar 34 disposed Within the tubular support 30 is fixed to a projection 40 by a rivet 41. The lower end of the bar 34 is fixed by a rivet 42 to an electrical insulator 46 secured to the casing 45 and is connected to the positive terminal of the battery 38 by means of a lead 47. In this embodiment, any lateral movement of the tubular support 30 with respect to its vertical center line can effectively be prevented since the weight of the battery 38 and the casing 45 exerts a downward force directed in the axial direction of the tubular support 30.

In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, a stationary support 51 in the form of a tubular member is fixed at its upper end to a suitable portion of a ceiling wall 52 by a fixing member 63. A spring bar 53 is inserted in the tubular support 51 and is also fixed at its upper end to the fixing member 63. A box-shaped movable support 50 is provided centrally of its upper and lower walls with respective ball bearings 54 and 55 to be rotatably mounted on the lower end of the tubular support 51. A portion 64 centrally of the lower wall of the movable support 50 is cut open to be flared downwardly, and the lower end of the spring bar 53 is fixed to this flared portion 64. Thus, the movable support 50 is freely rotatably carried by the tubular support '51 in a manner to be suspended therefrom. A battery 59 is fixed in the left-hand side compartment of the movable support 50,

and an electromagnet 56 and a movable contact 62 are fixed in the right-hand side compartment of the sup port 50.

A stationary arm 57 is secured at one end to the tubular support 51 and carries a permanent magnets 58 on its free end and a stationary contact 61 near its fixed end. It is so arranged that, when the spring bar 53 takes its non-twisted position, the movable contact 62 is brought into contact with the stationary contact 61 and at the same time the electromagnet 56 comes to a position at which it is opposed by the permanent magnet '58.

Therefore, successively greater torsion is imparted to the spring bar 53 as the movable support 50 rotates and this torsion applies a brake action to the rotating movement of the support 50 with the result that the movable support 50 is urged back to its original position at which the spring bar 53 retakes its non-twisted state. At this position of the movable support 50, the movable contact 62 is urged into contact with the stationary contact 61 to complete a closed circuit consisting of negative terminal of battery 59, exciting coil 60, movable contact 62, stationary contact 61, stationary arm 57, tubular support 51, movable support 50 and positive terminal of battery 59, so that the electromagnet '56 is energized to a polarity opposite to that of the permanent magnet 58 and is urged away from the latter. In this manner, the movable support 50 continues its oscillatory rotating movement.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that, in the device according to the present invention, the drive force for causing rotation of a movable body supporting an article of advertisement, an article of commerce, a chandelier or the like is derived from a combined action of the force of repulsion or attraction imparted by an electromagnet and the torsional movement of a resilient body. Therefore, the movable body makes an interesting movement attracting the attention of viewers instead of the conventional constant-speed rotary movement and the resilient suspension system for the article of advertisement, etc. employed in the inventionreduces load. on the bearing. Thus, the inventive device having a simplified mechanism and a long service life can successfully be used with outdoor signboards. Further, it will be appreciated, that, by virtue of extremely low power consumption, power supply means such as a battery can conveniently be used for operation over an extended period of time.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for imparting horizontally oscillatory rotating movement to articles comprising a stationary support, a movable support, resilient means connected to suspend said movable support from said stationary support so that the former is rotatable with respect to the latter, an article mounted on said movable support, a horizontally oscillatory arm disposed in a horizontal direction and fixed at one end to said movable support, first magnetic means mounted on the free end of said oscillatory arm, second magnetic means mounted on said stationary support in such manner that it opposes said first magnetic means in the nontwisted state of said resilient means, one of said magnetic means being an electromagnet and the other magnetic means being a permanent magnet, and movable and fixed electrical contact means on said movable and stationary supports, respectively, which contacts engage in the nontwisted state of said resilient means to energize said electromagnet thereby imparting a force of repulsion to said permanent magnet.

2. A device according to claim 15 wherein said first magnetic means is a permanent magnet and said second magnetic means is an electromagnet.

3. A device according to claim 15 wherein said first magnetic means is an electromagnet and said second magnetic means is a permanent maget.

4. A device according to claim 15 further comprising bearing means rotatably mounting said movable support, on said stationary support.

5. A device according to claim 15 wherein said movable support includes a hollow tubular member, said resilient means being fixed at its upper end to said stationary support and passing through said hollow member and being fixed at its lower end to said movable support.

6. A device for imparting horizontally oscillatory rotating movement to articles comprising a stationary support, a movable support, resilient means connected to suspend said movable support from said stationary support so that the former is rotatable with respect to the latter, an article mounted on said movable support, a stationary ar-m disposed in a horizontal direction and fixed at one end to said stationary support, first magnetic means mounted on the free end of said stationary arm, second magnetic means disposed at a suitable position on the periphery of said movable support in such manner that it opposes said first magnetic means in the nontwisted state of said resilient means, one of said magnetic means being an electromagnet and the other magnetic means being a permanent magnet, and movable and fixed electrical contact means on said movable and stationary supports, respectively, which contacts engage in the nontwisted state of said resilient means to energize said electromagnet thereby imparting a force of repulsion to said permanent magnet.

7. A device according to claim 20 wherein said first magnetic means is a permanent magnet and said second magnetic means is an electromagnet.

8. A device according to claim 20 wherein said first magnetic means is an electromagnet and said second magnetic means is a permanent magnet.

9. A device according to claim 20 further comprising bearing means rotatably mounting said movable support on said stationary support.

10. A device according to claim 20 wherein said movable support includes a hollow tubular member, said resilient means being fixed at its upper end to said stationary support and passing through said hollow member and being fixed at its lower end to said movable support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,499,632 3/1950 Coake 310-39 2,635,155 4/1953 Barr 3l038 2,810,083 10/ 1957 Dunay 31032 3,102,974 9/1963 Williams 335-229 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

HAROLD BROOME, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 31038 

